


Yaretzi's Kitchen

by Zighana



Category: Insecure (TV), On My Block (TV)
Genre: F/M, Gen
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-12-06
Updated: 2020-12-06
Packaged: 2021-03-09 22:42:21
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,401
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27913999
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Zighana/pseuds/Zighana
Summary: Oscar's restaurant is placed on the rough side of town and attracts some unsavory people. Fine. But when a violent gang sets up shop in his restaurant and sets their sights on a teenager he's mentoring, Oscar is forced to step outside the persona he made for himself and slip back into his old life before he met Issa. And it might cost him everything.It goes down at Yaretzi's Kitchen.A spin-off from Life's A Bitch (And Then You Die)
Relationships: Issa Dee/Oscar "Spooky" Diaz
Comments: 4
Kudos: 10





	Yaretzi's Kitchen

It’s 5AM.

Oscar’s alarm goes off in the darkness. Issa groans and disentangles herself from his embrace. He slips out of the bed and grabs his clothes. 

“You think you could schedule it later in the morning?” Issa grumbles out, turning on the lamp. 

“The earlier I get this done, the sooner I get to go home and look after Gigi. You know this, Bunny.” Oscar says. He’s in their bathroom, brushing his teeth and washing his face. He runs his fingers through his hair, grimacing at the rough and greasy texture. 

“I’m gonna go use your shampoo and conditioner, babe.” He says out of the bathroom. 

“That shit is hella expensive! What about your...5 in 1 shampoo?”

“Tossed it in the trash after I learned it was used to _unclog toilets_.” 

“Don’t use too much.” 

“You know I won’t. I don’t wanna smell like coconuts and papaya and shit while I work.” 

“Spooky, don’t lie. You love that smell.” 

“...in small amounts.” 

Issa comes in the bathroom. She’s wearing a silk green nightie and matching scarf. 

“Use a dime-size amount, nigga.” She says playfully. Oscar smirks and gets into the shower. He’s lathering his hair when he feels the shower curtain open. Issa steps inside, reaching past to grab her body pouf and soap. 

“Wanted to save water...since we in a global...climate change.” She mumbles. She grabs the shower head and rinses off. 

“Were you trying to sneak a quickie?” He asks. He wraps his hands around her waist. She looks up and cracks a smile.

“I thought about it, but then I saw us falling to our deaths in this tiny ass shower.” 

“Smart.” 

Oscar gets dressed shortly after. He’s in the mirror, dabbing foundation over his tattooed teardrop and Santos cross. Issa exits the shower and watches him. 

“One of these days, people will stop giving a fuck about your past.” She says. He chews his lip. 

“Today isn’t the day. This restaurant is so new, I...I don’t want to fuck it up.” 

She wraps her arms around his neck and kisses his cheek. 

“If the food is fire and the service is great, they will come regardless.” She says. Oscar buttons his dress shirt and kisses Issa on the lips. 

“Have a good day at work.” She says. 

“You too. Love you.”

“Love you too!” Issa says over her shoulder. She’s digging through her dresser for her work clothes. 

~~~

Oscar sweeps the floors, wipes down the tables, cleans the charred remains of meat from the stove and washes the fruits and vegetables. He’s on his third cup of coffee when the front door knocks. His employees. 

“Good morning, ladies and gentlemen.” He says to them as they’re let in. One employee rubs her arms and chatters her teeth. 

“Cold as hell out there, goddamn!” She says. 

“You got the heater on, Mr. Diaz?” Another employee asks. 

“Yeah, I can crank it up a little bit more. So!” Oscar claps his hands. “Who’s ready for a good day today? We have a lot to do so let’s hit the ground running. Any questions?”

The employees shake their heads. 

“Alright, let’s do this!” 

~~~

Lunch hour is hell. 

Oscar fights the urge to retreat to his office when another rush of customers flood the restaurant. The front of it is a family of six, and the father is getting more irate by the minute. His hostess, Chandra, tried her best to appease the man but the man was so rude to her she had to take her smoke break to stop herself from “knocking his ass the fuck out”. 

“I’m sorry you have to wait, but as you can see, we are packed and during this time it’s rush hour. You’re going to have to wait.” Oscar says. The father sucks his teeth. 

“This nigga here. Where yo manager at? I wanna file a complaint!” 

“You’re staring right at him, sir.” Oscar says. He’s clenching his jaw so hard it hurts. 

“Is this how you run your establishment? Making people who spent their hard-earned money to come in this janky ass restaurant wait all this goddamn time? Huh?” 

“You came to a restaurant at 12 o'clock in the afternoon, around the time hella people who are on their lunch break come to restaurants to eat, on a Friday. What did you _think_ was gon’ happen?” Oscar says. He points to the crowd. “You gotta wait like everybody else, and since I’m the only restaurant in miles that doesn’t have a long ass line wrapped around the fucking corner, you don’t have much of a choice.”

“I can take my money elsewhere. Eat a dick, nigga. Your people think you too good and wanna act all sadditty.” 

“The fuck you say to me…?” Oscar leaves the register and invades the man’s personal space. The man’s wife tugs at her husband’s sleeve. 

“Baby, it’s not worth it. Let’s just go home.” She pleads. 

There’s a loud crash. The three whip their heads around to see two men fighting each other on the floor, the dining table crushed under their weight. 

Oscar pulls out a baseball bat and hits the ground near one of the men’s heads. 

“Take that shit outside!” He bellows. One of the men jump to his feet and swing on Oscar. He blocks the move and uppercuts him in the gut. The man drops to his knees. 

“You want he got? Get the fuck out.” Oscar says to the one standing, pointing the bat to the door. The remaining man grabs the fallen one and the two stagger outside. 

“Ayo, it goes down at Yuhressy’s! Worldstar!” An obnoxious teen says to his phone. He turns the phone on Oscar, who smacks it out of his hand. The phone flies into a cup of soda. 

“Hey, what the fuck!” The teen shouts.

“Show’s over.” Oscar says. 

~~~

Oscar sits in his office, rubbing his temples. He picks up the photo of his family and takes a deep breath. 

“Just one of those days.” He tells himself. 

He steps out of his office and goes to the front. Chandra’s back, but she’s shaking, staring at the chubby black man who smells of weed and tobacco. The man wears purple and yellow, gold chains around his neck with diamond studs in his ear. 

“What are your specials?” He asks Chandra. His teeth are gold. 

Chandra shakily points her finger to the menu right next to her. 

“I’ll take over from here.” Oscar tells her, nudging her to the side. 

“Hello, sir. We have our Friday lunch special. It comes with a bacon cheeseburger with toppings of your choice, seasoned fries, a soda, and a muffin.” He says. The man smiles. 

“You new? Never seen you before.” 

“Been here for a year. From Cali.” 

The man nods his head. 

“Been there before. Y’all got some nice beaches.” 

“If you ever go to LA, I can recommend some bomb ass restaurants, a couple Mexican places.” 

“Yeah, yeah. I’m down, man. I’m a foodie. Give me the Friday lunch special.” 

“What soda.” 

“Sprite.” 

Oscar inputs the order. The man rubs his beard.

“I like you. You chill. Might bring some of my friends here.” 

“The more the merrier.” Oscar says. The man pulls out a large stack of money and slides out a Benjamin. He hands him the money and Oscar hands him the ticket and his change. 

Chandra taps Oscar’s shoulder. 

“Can I talk to you in private, Mr. Diaz?” She asks. 

“Yeah. Imani, watch the front.” 

“Do you like playing with danger, Mr. Diaz?” Chandra asks. Oscar raises an eyebrow. 

“What do you mean?” 

“That man is Greggory Vick, one of the leaders of the Dirty Bastards gang. He is bad news.”

“What he does outside of this restaurant got nothing to do with me. He pays for his food, has manners and some _sense_ , which people in Atlanta don’t have.”

“He _kills_ people! People wound up chopped up and _missing_ because of him.” She hisses.

“ _Chandra_ ,” Oscar places his hands on her shoulders. “As long as he not bringing that shit _here_ , I don’t give a fuck. And neither should you.” 

“You askin’ for a death wish, boss.” Chandra says. Oscar chuckles. 

“Maybe. Or maybe...I know who the fuck I am and that’s my greatest weapon.” He says. He leaves her confused and alone in the break room.


End file.
